Kail-joint



P. WILLIAMS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION mio MAY6.1919.

PatentedlAug. 19,1919.

| llnlfl IIII I TMB COLUMBIA MOQHAPII IHINCTDN, D' C PAYTON WILLIAMS, OF JOHNETTA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Application filed May 6, 1919. Serial. No 295,093.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAYToN WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Johnetta, in the county of Armstrong and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the followingis a specification. j

his invention relates to rail joints, and particularly to that class of joint, wherein abutting rails are interlocked with each other to hold the rails from relative longitudinal and lateral movement.

One object of my invention is to provide a particularly effective joint of this character, wherein both the bases and heads of the rails are connected by interlocking` tongues and sockets, adapted to be engaged with each other by relative vertical movement.

A further object is to provide means for holding the abutting rails against accidental relative vertical movement which would tend to detach them, said means also acting as splice bars extending across the joint, and assisting in bracing the joint against lateral thrust.

A further object is to provide a chair co-acting with the joint by which the rails may be held against lateral movement-and held firmly engaged with the tie.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of railroad rails having the abutting ends engaged in accordance with my invention, one of the chairs being in section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View of the joint.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 Fig. 1.

Fig. 4,is a section on line 4 4 Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the abutting ends of two rails separated.

Referring to these figures, it will be seen that each rail is formed at one end A as shown lin Fig. 6, with a socket 10 extending downward in the head, this socket having an enlarged inner end, that the web 11 of the rail is longitudinally slotted as at`12, beneath this socketed portion, and formed below the slotwith ay second or base socket 13, of the samefform as socket 10. To provide for a` socket having sufficient strength,

the` web of the rail is thickened at this end,`

as will be obvious from Fig.- 6. The side walls 14 of the socket 13 merge at the rear ends into the web 11, and these side walls, on their outer faces are vertically grooved to provide flanges 15, extending. upward from the side Walls 14, and nearly in line with the enlarged inner end of socket 13 are lugs 16 which are thinner than the Walls 14 and consequently. have their inner faces spaced from the outer faces of the web 11.

The opposite end A of the rail is formed with a tongue 17 extending from the head of the rail and having a bulbous extremity to interlock in the socket 10 and a like tongue 18 extends from the base of the rail and is cngageable in socket 13. Adjacent its base, the web 11, isthickened on each side as at 19, and these thickened portions extend beyond thc end of the web 11 at 20 and on their inner confronting faces are vertically grooved to provide vertical flanges 21., Thus when the two rails are joined, the flanges 15 and 21 will interengage, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Each ofthe thickened portions 19 has an upwardly extending lug 22, whose inner -face is spaced from the confronting outer face of the web 11. These lugs 22, on one end of one rail co-act with the lugs 16 on the adjacent end of the other rail to receive keys or wedges 23, which when the rails are joined are driven into place on each side of the web 11 of the two rails and across the junction between them, as shown in Fig. 2, in dotted lines. As shown most clearly in Fig. 3 the lugs 16 are angular in cross section and providesockets 24 in which the ends of the wedges 23 are received. The wedges rest on the upper faces of the thickened portions 19 and 14. Both pairs of lugs 16 and 22 terminate short of the head of the rail.

When .the rails are joined they are seated within a chair 25, having a relatively wide base extending ybeneath the rails, and lateral webs 26 which extend inward over the bases of the rails, then vertically upward, nearly touching the parts 14 and 19, and then inward at 27 to bear` against the web of the rail beneath the head thereof as shown inFigs. 1 and 4.

The webs 26 are base 25 and as shown in Fig. 1 this base is beveled at its ends at 28, thus providing a wear plate between the tie B and the rails, and further bracing the joint against lateral thrust.

less in length than the Vmovement.

Y any rate, their upper edges engage against the heads'v27 and thereby assist in support-- ing the head of the rail at the end A where the slot 13.wouldotherwise weaken the rail.

It will be seen that at the joints the rails are held firmly against independent vertical or lateral movement, and that the rails `are locked securely together againstv thestresses to which they are ordinarily subjected.

hile I have illustrated an embodiment Y of my Ainvention which I believe to be kparsoV ticularly eitectival do not wish to be limited to details et form or the exact arrangement of the parts as these may be varied without departing froml the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I .claimV is I l j 1. A- rail joint comprising two `abutting rails, one rail having a longitudinal slotat one end and a vsocket extending downward into the base of the, rail from the slot and a vertical socket in the head of the rail, said sockets located in vertical alinement, the

Y other rail having upper and lower tongues engaging in the sockets, the sockets and tongues bein-g enlarged at the inner yand outer ends, respectively.

l 2. A rail jointeomprising Vtwo abutting rails one rail having a longitudinal. slot at one end, and a socket extending downward into the baseV of the rail from the slot, and a vertical lsocket in the head of the rail; the other rail havingV upper and lower tongues engaging inthe sockets, the lsockets and vtongues being enlarged atl the inner and outer ends respectively, the side walls of the lower socket having exterior vertical out,- wardlyA projecting flanges, the other rail having lateral extensions formed with inwardly projecting `flanges interlocking with saidV flanges when the rails are abutted.

3. A rail Ajoint comprising two abutting rails, one Vrail having a longitudinal slot at one end, and a socket extending downward into the base of` the rail from, the slot and a vertical socket in the headjof the` rail, the other rail having upper and lower tongues engaging in the, sockets, the sockets Vand tonguesbeing enlarged at th'e'finner and outer ends respectively, the bases vfof Athe tongues being enlarged at the inner and outer ends respectively, the' side walls oIn the lower socket having exterior, outwardly projecting vertical lflanges, the other rail having laterally thickened portions projecting beyond the lend of the rail and having inwardly projecting flanges to engage the` Y vertical Aiianges of the other rail, lugs extending upward from the walls of the lower socket and from said thickened portions and spaced from the rail webs, and keys disposed between the lugs and the webs.

5. A -rail Vjoint comprising two `abutting rails, one rail having a longitudinal slot at one end and a socket extending downward into the base of the rail from the slot, and a vertical socket in the head of the rail, the other rail having upper and -l'ower tongues engaging in the sockets, the sockets and tongues Ebeing enlarged at the inner and outer ends: respectively, the side walls of the lower socket having exterior, outwardly projecting vertical flanges, the other rail. having laterally thickened portions projectingbeyond the end of the rail and having inwardly projecting flanges to engage the vertical flanges of the other rail, lugs ex,- tending upward vfrom the walls of the lower socket and from said, thickened portions and spaced from the rail webs, and keys disposed between the lugs andl the webs, and a chair.. extending beneath the Abases of the rails vat the joint, over the base flanges thereotand upward parallel to the webs, and having heads bearing against the heads ofthe .rails and against which the keys bear.

l6. Abutting rails having longitudinallyv extending interlocking tongues and sockets, the side walls of one rail having upwardly extending lugs, the other rail having laterally thickened portions projecting beyond the end of the rail and engaging the sides ot the first-mentioned rail, upwardly ex'- tending lugs on the rails,` and key 'wedges disposed between the last-mentioned lugs andtwebs of the rails, and over the-lirstmentioned lugs, rail.

PAY'roN wi'LLIAMs;

" Commissnner f. Eatenis,

and across the joint 'of the 

